Other books that might interest you

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  Florence! Foster!! Jenkins!!! -...

  Darryl W. Bullock

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  An inspiring biography of the socialite and amateur soprano who didn’t let her terrible voice stop her—Now the subject of a major motion picture. Magazine Madame Jenkins couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket: despite that, in 1944 at the age of seventy-six, she played Carnegie Hall to a capacity audience and had celebrity fans by the score. Her infamous 1940s recordings are still highly prized today. In his well-researched and thoroughly entertaining biography, Darryl W. Bullock tells of Florence Foster Jenkins’s meteoric rise to success and the man who stood beside her, through every sharp note. Florence was ridiculed for her poor control of timing, pitch, and tone, and terrible pronunciation of foreign lyrics, but the sheer entertainment value of her caterwauling packed out theatres around the United States, with the “singer” firmly convinced of her own talent, partly thanks to the devoted attention for her husband and manager St. Clair Bayfield. Her story is one of triumph in the face of adversity, courage, conviction and of the belief that with dedication and commitment a true artist can achieve anything.“Darryl W. Bullock’s charming FLORENCE! FOSTER!! JENKINS!!! is just about right for those who want to know more about the world’s worst opera singer. . . . Thoroughly readable and entertaining. This appealing little biography―which arrives just as a film version of its heroine’s story, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, has been released in the U.S.―is warmhearted and delightful. At its core is a touching love story, as well as a message about the human spirit.” —Alexander McCall Smith, The New York Times Book Review

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  The Six Shooter - Volume 2 - The...

  Frank Burt

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  The American West has always provided larger than life characters, righting wrongs to make the world a better place and all set in a mythic landscape.   
   
  In ‘The Six-Shooter’ James Stewart starred as Britt Ponset, a drifting cowboy in the sunset years of the wild west. Episodes ranged from straight western drama to light and sentimental comedy.  Stewart being one of the reigning stars of Hollywood at the time also brought his own touches to bear. His use of whispered narration during tense scenes created a heightened sense of drama and then relief when the situation was resolved. 
   
  The American West that radio, movies and TV portrayed is the stuff of legends; a fictional concoction usually far from the truth but ‘The Six-Shooter’ did something that few others radio shows could provide; entertainment that captivated the listener.

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  A Framework for Jazz Mastery

  Richie Beirach, Michael Lake

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  A Framework for Jazz Mastery is a wealth of information from one of the great modern jazz piano voices, Richie Beirach. 
  Richie lays out in the first of three sections ten essential tips for becoming the jazz player you have the full potential to become. His tips include how to develop the necessary technique, the value in transcribing solos and how to best use them, how to learn a tune, reharmonization, composition, and more. 
  In the book's second section called Root Flower Fruit, Richie discusses his view on how a musician fully develops into an accomplished jazz musician. Each of the three stages is described with examples given from his own life and career, as well as those of others. 
  The final section called Heart Ear Hand takes listeners through Richie's process of sitting at the piano experiencing an emotion and the quick reaction of that emotion that triggers his fingers to improvise music on the keyboard. This is a description of improvisation unlike any you'll ever hear as told by a master of the art. 
  While the bulk of the book is narrated by Michael Lake, Richie, Dave Liebman, and Randy Brecker also have a hand in narrating those sections of the book written by them. Liebman also narrates the section penned by him in the physical book on ten tips of non-musical considerations for all musicians. 
  With complex musical examples recorded on the piano while Richie discusses them, this is a rich aural collection of priceless information from which any level of jazz musician will benefit.

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  Americans Are Drowning In...

  PBS NewsHour

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  Collectively, Americans owe nearly a trillion dollars of medical debt, and Congress is trying to figure out a policy response. But in the meantime, economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on an unusual non-profit’s effort to relieve the burden of medical debt for those in need.

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  The Blessed Lens - A History of...

  Joseph Luzzi

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  Professor Joseph Luzzi, the director of Italian studies at Bard College and an award-winning author, offers a comprehensive look at Italian cinema from its inception in 1895 through its major periods and influences. Having altered the landscape of Italian art and society, as well as inspiring filmmakers the world over, Italian cinema proves a fascinating study. Major focuses of the course include neorealism, the Spaghetti Western, the Italian giallo, and Italian-style comedy.

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  A Prairie Home Companion - Live...

  Garrison Keillor, Royal Academy...

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  After 40-plus years of delighting radio audiences each Saturday night with America's favorite live variety show, A Prairie Home Companion founder and host Garrison Keillor bids farewell with an unforgettable performance from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. It's a duet singing extravaganza, with Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, Heather Masse, and Christine DiGiallonardo joining Garrison on time-honored American ballads, British Invasion romps, country-western weepers, and Broadway classics. Plus: The Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman, with L.A. tales and sound effects straight from rush hour on the 101; Music Director and pianist Richard Dworsky moves wondrously from stride and spirituals through surf instrumentals and a bit of Rock n Roll; a special sendoff from President Barack Obama; and one last update on the News from Lake Wobegon, the little town that time forgot, and the decades cannot improve.

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